United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green met today with Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Chair of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

As the U.S. government's international development in humanitarian assistance leader, our investments are being made to save lives, foster inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty, and strengthen democratic governance. I've just come from the first town hall meeting that AID had with its new administer, Mark Green. And I will reiterate what he just said that our assistance is a hand up and we are all working at USAID and throughout the government for the day when our partner countries will no longer need our assistance; that the dynamic of our relationship will change. We'll not just be giving development assistance but really being partnerships and so that is what AID has been doing and certainly the dynamic, the nexus of how we go forward will be emerging as we move on to sizes and the other things to go forward.

On September 13, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green spoke by phone with the Minister of Interior of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ronald Plasterk, to offer condolences and reiterate the United States' support for the people of Sint Maarten as they face the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

The below is attributable to Acting Spokesperson Clayton M. McCleskey:

On September 11, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green spoke on the phone with the UK Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel. Administrator Green reiterated U.S. support for the people of the Caribbean, and he extended his thoughts and prayers to the people of the Caribbean British overseas territories.

The below is attributable to Acting Spokesperson Clayton M. McCleskey:

On September 11, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green spoke by phone with the French Minister of the Interior, Gerard Collomb, and the Director-General of the French Development Agency, Remy Rioux, to offer his condolences to the people of Saint-Martin in the wake of Hurricane Irma's devastation.

Today, USAID celebrates International Literacy Day, noting the transformative power of being able to read. Literacy empowers people to build a better future for themselves by unlocking opportunity and opening the door to education, stability, and prosperity.

The below is attributable to Acting Spokesperson Clayton M. McCleskey:

USAID Administrator Mark Green called Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda this afternoon to convey the condolences and support of the United States to the people of that island nation following the destruction wrought by Hurricane Irma.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) as Hurricane Irma - the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record - brings life-threatening rains, winds, and storm surges to the Caribbean. The DART, an elite team of disaster experts, currently has staff in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, and the Bahamas, who will coordinate with local authorities and humanitarian organizations on the ground to bring vital assistance to those affected by this hurricane and its aftermath. USAID has pre-positioned critical commodities in high-risk countries, including Haiti, to ensure relief supplies are immediately available to help communities in need.

USAID Administrator Mark Green visited the Republic of South Sudan September 1-2, and on Friday he met with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir in Juba. Administrator Green stressed the urgent need for President Kiir and his Government to both acknowledge and address the worsening humanitarian crisis in South Sudan.

Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Jose Graziano de Silva, World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley, and International Fund for Agricultural Development President Gilbert Houngbo

There will never be enough money to do everything that we would like to do, but the challenges -- the scale of the challenges we’re facing: natural disaster, as we see here, man-made disasters, as we see in too many places, is creating unprecedented need and challenge. Our obligation, as in all of us, is to work seamlessly, very-closely, share information all the time. We also have an obligation, I think, to try to deal with immediate needs and also to look at some unpredictable future needs. So, the youth that we see in refugee camps, who will grow up in a refugee camp experience, how do we help to provide some kind of education and job training so that god-willing someday there’s a normalcy there. But all of these challenges are really profound ones.

Thanks to all of you for making it through the rain to come here, I appreciate it. I've had a couple of great days so far here in Ethiopia, and I'd like to begin by thanking the people of Ethiopia for their incredible hospitality. Beautiful country -- it's not my first time here, but every time I come back I'm just -- I feel a great sense of welcome. So, it -- my thanks go out. This is my first trip abroad as the Administrator of USAID, and I'm glad that that first trip was to Africa. It's a continent with which, as some of you know, I have a close personal relationship. It

USAID is committed to helping Ethiopia leverage its human and economic capital, and to harness the power of Ethiopian farms and entrepreneurs to create a more economically prosperous and food-secure Ethiopia. This is why, yesterday, I announced that Ethiopia will be a target country for the next phase of Feed the Future. We look forward to partnering with Ethiopia on Feed the Future venture.

I think Feed the Future itself, as an approach, is not simply humanitarian response. Humanitarian response is important, but we’re all understanding, you want to help people protect themselves and to be strengthened against the potential for future shock and crisis, as a sad reality, Ethiopia seems to get those shocks every few years; not just once a generation. And so, I think what we’re doing here, these sorts of facilities which create better livelihoods, but also some of the partnership for putting together, including the American business community, agribusiness community is a very smart way of tackling food and security.

Feed the Future harnesses the power of American development leadership and innovation to partner with host governments, and community leaders and the private sector to build resilient communities with the goal of helping people stand on their own two feet, no matter what challenge may come their way. By equipping people with the tools to feed themselves and their families over the long term, Feed the Future and our partners are addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty and bolstering their ability to meet future challenges. Ethiopia, in particular, is a great example of the impact that the Feed the Future partnership can have. Thanks to all of you and your hard work, Ethiopia is making strong progress. Because of investments by the national government, and with the support of smart development assistance, Ethiopia was able to bounce back from 2015 and 2016 droughts. And I'm confident that Ethiopia's resilience will help the country to weather the current drought as well.

Today, we discuss the importance of Sudan sustaining and building on its recent positive actions in multiple areas. These areas include maintaining a cessation of hostilities in the conflict areas, continuing improvement of humanitarian access throughout Sudan, and maintaining cooperation with the United States on both regional conflicts and regional counterterrorism threats.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green will travel to Ethiopia, August 30-31. The Administrator will visit multiple USAID-funded Feed the Future sites that contribute to strengthening community resilience and economic development in Ethiopia. Green will also visit a program supported through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which aims to reduce the economic vulnerability of families affected by HIV/AIDS.